


Happy Recollections

by melodiesofliv



Category: Frozen (2013)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-24
Updated: 2019-07-24
Packaged: 2020-07-12 12:47:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,433
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19946413
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/melodiesofliv/pseuds/melodiesofliv
Summary: One evening, Anna and Kristoff remember the past...





	Happy Recollections

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Punkpoemprose](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Punkpoemprose/gifts).



> **Disclaimer:** Disney owns Frozen, as always.
> 
> **Written For:** The 2019 Kristanna Christmas in July exchange.

Elsa set down her mug of hot chocolate, rising with her customary grace. "I shall bid goodnight to you both," she said.

"Goodnight?" Anna said. "It's not even four in the afternoon!"

"I am not unaware of that," Elsa said, "but this last escapade has left me..." She struggled for words. "Maybe an earlier night will help. I will see you at breakfast tomorrow." She smiled, turning on her heel, and as she strode out, her voice carried back to Anna and Kristoff. "Besides, I have little to no desire to sit here, watching the two of you cuddle."

She smiled a second time, exiting the room as Anna leaned into Kristoff, and as Elsa's footsteps faded away, Kristoff wrapped an arm around Anna.

"What now?" Anna said, and a yawn split her face.

"You're no less exhausted than Elsa is, and to be honest, I'm just as exhausted," Kristoff said. "I should tell you to go to bed, but then we'd have to part—and I like this, holding you close."

"It seems so stupid."

"What does?"

Anna yawned again, stretching out to place her head in Kristoff's lap. "How everyone around us acts where you and I are concerned. We've just concluded our second major stretch of multiple unchaperoned hours together, and even though we _must_ have spent nights together, without my sister as a chaperone, no one's expressed concern that anything untoward happened. And yet, now that the escapade is over, and we're back safe in Arendelle, the idea that we could spend time together, unchaperoned is... inconceivable, even without spending the night together."

Kristoff pretended he didn't hear the quiet shuffle of Gerda's feet as she walked away from the room.

"What if it wasn't inconceivable?" Kristoff's voice was low, and he looked at Anna, though he couldn't meet her eyes.

"We'd have to get married for that," Anna said, yawning once more, "and—" She sat up, staring at Kristoff. "Wait, what? You want to marry me?"

"I hadn't intended to ask you like this," Kristoff said. "Nevertheless, I do want to marry you." He pulled her close, running his fingers through her tresses. She leaned into him, looking up at him with a smile.

"I want us to have our own home," Anna said. "No servants, not too many rooms, and a garden." She kissed Kristoff gently. "I want a place where we can just be Kristoff and Anna."

 _And you shall have it,_ Kristoff said to himself, kissing Anna again.

* * *

In the days and weeks that followed, Kristoff and Anna made plans. Kristoff still held the position of Arendelle's Ice Master and Deliverer, and if his earnings from that work failed to cover their expenses, there was Anna's inheritance—quite modest next to Elsa's, but still not an insignificant sum—to fall back on. Elsa had to be told, of course—and then convinced of their decision to take a modest plot of land that would serve to keep a garden and a few animals, once the house was built.

If Elsa granted them as much land as she was thinking of, there could only be one of three outcomes. As Kristoff was primarily occupied with delivering ice, they would either waste the land by doing nothing with it, waste money by hiring help to plant and harvest crops, or rent it out to whoever wanted to make use of it, and with Anna's inheritance, the extra money was irrelevant.

The house was a little larger than they'd planned for, although not so large as to need servants, and when they confronted Elsa over it, she waved aside their complaints with a 'one day, you will be glad I ignored you'.

* * *

The day after the wedding, Anna woke up, and made her way to the kitchen. It was a simple enough task to set the table for breakfast, and a simple enough task to arrange the fixings for breakfast around the stove. That was as far as she got; despite Gerda's instruction, the intricacies of cooking could hardly be described as a simple enough task where Anna was concerned.

Footsteps sounded from their room, and Anna turned around to see Kristoff standing in the doorway.

"You have no idea what you're doing, do you?" Kristoff said.

"Not at all," Anna said. "I'm pretty sure all of this makes breakfast, but not how."

Kristoff joined her, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "I won't say cooking is easy," he said, "although some of the ice harvesters I spent time with as a child believed the easiest form of cooking was to follow recipes exactly as written. As long as you do what the recipe says, it turns out okay."

"I think that was my trouble with Gerda," Anna said. "She had recipes, but from what I saw, she didn't follow them. She never explained why in a way that I understood."

"How to alter recipes is something you'll learn later," Kristoff said. "First you need to know how to make the meal in the first place. It won't be like the palace meals, but I can cook, and I'll teach you to do the same."

Kristoff set to making breakfast, and Anna observed with a keen eye, asking several pointed questions. Kristoff's answers made more sense than Gerda's ever had, and as they sat down to eat, Anna thought she might be able to reproduce the meal. Not that she'd pass on Kristoff's help the first couple of times, though!

* * *

Anna woke up one morning in late January, and she felt different. She eased herself out of bed, wrapping herself in a robe before making her way to the kitchen. A hot drink did much to settle her stomach, and she went to the door, looking out. There were some children playing in the snow nearby. Kristoff was absent, dealing with his Ice Master duties, so she had to rely on the children.

"Anders! Karoline!"

All the children turned to look at her, but the two she addressed stepped forward.

"Yes, Princess Anna?" Karoline said, curtseying.

"Please, go to the castle, and ask Elsa and Gerda to come here," Anna said.

"Of course," Anders said, and the two children hurried off.

Anna had another hot drink while she waited, though it seemed an age before Elsa and Gerda arrived. She looked up as they entered the kitchen, giving them a tired smile.

"Anna, what is wrong?" Elsa placed a cool hand on Anna's forehead, frowning. "You seem a little warmer, although that could be the fire."

"I'm not sure," Anna said. "When I woke up, I felt different. Perhaps I'm sick?"

Gerda looked around the kitchen, before looking at Anna. "Have you eaten this morning?"

Anna shook her head. "I wasn't sure I'd keep it down. When that happens, a hot drink helps, and I eat some more at lunch, when it won't..."

Gerda nodded. "I remember Queen Idunn was the same way. You're with child."

"...wait, what?"

* * *

Kristoff stomped the snow from his boots, clutching the parcel to his chest. Once he was clean, he entered to the good, rich smells of dinner. Following his nose, he found Anna in the kitchen, and he leaned down to kiss her.

"I wasn't expecting you so soon," Anna said. "Dinner is still cooking."

"We have time to look at this, then," Kristoff said, and he handed her the parcel.

Anna undid the string, unfolding the paper carefully to be used later, and pulled from the wrappings a book. She ran her fingers over it, taking in the title: _Nye Eventyr. Første Bind. Anden Samling. 1845._

"I thought we could read it together," Kristoff said.

Anna smiled. "I'd like that. We can read to our child."

"Child? You're with child?"

Anna nodded. "Gerda confirmed it. She believes our child will be born mid to late summer." She hopped up, taking the dinner meal from the oven, dishing onto two plates, which she set on the table.

"I'll have to make some furniture, or trade some work," Kristoff said. The meal was good, but he was too distracted to taste it. "Trading work might be best; I don't have experience with building children's furniture."

"Gerda has promised to supply me with baby clothing," Anna said, taking a bite of the meal. "She was very eager to get back to the castle and start working. These are concerns for tomorrow, though. Let us have dinner, and then read this book, this Nye Eventyr."

After dinner and other chores were done, they retired to bed with the book, and Anna snuggled into Kristoff as he began to read. The first story was Grantræet, a story about a little fir-tree. Kristoff read until he heard Anna's soft breathing, and with a smile, he put the book on the drawers beside the bed, pulling Anna close as he too went to sleep.

* * *

Grantræet was followed by Snedronningen, a tale told in seven stories. Each night, a little more was read, and they finished Nye Eventyr as winter melted into spring.

"When I traded for the book," Kristoff said, "I was told this Andersen may have written other books."

Anna didn't look up, her eyes focused on the blanket she was making. "If you haven't seen the peddler since, we can ask at the castle. Elsa has to leave for Denmark within the fortnight; she's overdue for returning the visits others made to us. If Andersen has written more than Nye Eventyr, she'll send anything she finds."

"You're worried."

There was silence, until Anna nodded. "The sea's less treacherous now that winter's passed, not that she'll have any problems with icy waters. The ships are sound; their crews experienced. It's expected their travel will be uneventful. Even so..." She sighed.

Kristoff wasn't sure what to say, but he walked over to Anna, wrapping his arms around her. She leaned into him, exhaling.

"After my parents, I worry."

"If you're concerned, Elsa would be too," Kristoff said. "You could talk to her, if that'd make you feel better?"

Anna shook her head. "We spent the better part of a day in discussion. As Princess of Arendelle, it's my duty to go with her. Even ignoring that I'm with child, I _cannot_ go with her, being that I'm next in line to the throne. We also brought out the last decade of almanacs. With one exception, the years have been as expected."

Kristoff chuckled at her wry expression. "Elsa keeps old almanacs?" While he was no stranger to using almanacs, as the ice harvesters he'd worked with had sworn by them, said harvesters had also instilled in him the thought that time moved on, rendering page by page of almanacs useless once the day had passed.

"When our parents travelled to the wedding of our royal cousin," Anna said, "that year's almanac suggests it wasn't the best time. Elsa's now certain their ship was beset by at least one major storm, perhaps as many as three, and whether they were blown off course or sank under the waves, we'll never know. Even if they survived, they're lost to us." She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. "In contrast, Elsa couldn't be travelling at a better time."

Kristoff nodded, holding her. "Whatever comes, I'll be here," he said, kissing the top of her head.

"I know." Anna leaned against him. "I love you, Kristoff."

* * *

When Elsa returned to Arendelle at summer's end, she brought with her more of Hans Christian Andersen's works. Since she was the Queen, Elsa had certain duties to attend to now that she was back home, all of which were forgotten when Gerda informed her that she'd missed her nieces being born. The twins—Kari and Idunn Bjorgman, named after their departed grandmothers—were a month old, and as healthy as anyone could expect. Elsa came down to see her nieces, and found Anna and Kristoff reading to the children.

Neither Anna nor Kristoff seemed to notice her presence, and she watched them in silence for what seemed like an eternity. When the tale drew near its end, Elsa placed the books down, departing in the same silence she had arrived, for she wished not to be found to be 'disturbing' a family moment.

When the girls were asleep in their cribs, Anna snuggled against Kristoff.

"They'll need siblings," she said. "Gerda says we should be careful until the girls are six months old, and then we may try again."

Kristoff nodded, holding her tight. "Do you want to try again so soon?"

"I'm three years younger than Elsa, and I well remember wishing I wasn't so much younger," Anna said. "I think it will be better if our children are not so far apart in age." She stood up, quietly leaving the room, and Kristoff followed behind.

Within nine months, Anna was with child again. Gerda claimed that she would have triplets, given she was a little larger than she had been with the twins, and while Anna was apprehensive, Kristoff was ecstatic. While he loved his daughters, he'd always wanted a large family, and adding three children would certainly go some way towards creating that large family.

(The less said about Elsa's smugness when they realised their house was more than able to cope with an additional three children, the better.)

* * *

Kristoff halted in the storytelling, noticing all five children were asleep. "I guess stories about our family will have to wait until tomorrow," he said, picking up Kari. One by one, he carried the children to their beds, tucking them in warmly, for the winter lay thick and heavy against their walls outide. When that task was complete, he returned to the couch, sitting next to Anna.

"How are you feeling?"

"Grateful that this one is a single—or so Gerda says," Anna said, one hand on her stomach.

"I've been meaning to ask," Kristoff said. "Are we just going to pretend we don't notice Elsa sneaking over here and showing off her magic to the twins?"

"It's not hurting anything," Anna said, "and the twins are just old enough that they enjoy having a harmless secret. I did warn Elsa not to keep them up for overly long; they have chores and responsibilities, and they also need their sleep."

Kristoff smiled, placing one hand on her stomach, feeling their baby kick. "As do you, Anna. Let's go to bed."

Anna nodded, leaning in for a kiss, and in silence, they headed for bed. Unbeknownst to each other, they each had the same thought: they were immensely lucky.


End file.
